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The hour had long since slipped past reasonable, but Erwin read the spread of papers strewn across his desk anyway, skimming familiar plans he already knew by heart now. Across the room, Levi sat with a teacup cradled loosely in one hand, posture relaxed in a way he allowed himself nowhere else. The tea had gone slightly cold but he drank it regardless. Their silence was a comfortable one. He had finished his own reports an hour ago. No reason to linger around for so long, really. He was aware of that, but so was Erwin.
Neither of them mentioned it.
It was the same routine for the two of them almost every night by now. Levi would finish his duties, but he could never quite bring himself to leave Erwin to his work, as though worried the man would suddenly collapse if he left him alone. So he stayed. Sometimes he would even help, if he felt like being mildly merciful. Levi’s gray eyes flicked up, watching him and how his fingers rubbed at a faint headache forming at his temple. That small crease between Erwin’s brows told Levi everything.
"You’ve read that report five times already," Levi grumbled. It broke the silence enough for Erwin to glance up, as if almost forgetting the other man was still there.
"Have I?" Erwin asked, then glanced back down at it. "Come over and look at it. I want your perspective."
With a roll of his eyes, Levi begrudgingly got up from his seat and crossed the room to Erwin's desk, beside him. He bent over slightly, peering at the report with his hands on the desk. Erwin placed his hand on the small of Levi's back, silently steadying the other man. He straightened slightly, but didn't pull away. Never did. Instead he scanned the lines, skilled at catching details most would miss.
Levi hummed in thought. "The ration supplies for the troops look off. If you stick with this rotation plan and add more squads to the next expedition, we’ll run dry quicker than we should."
That made Erwin’s eyebrows raise slightly as he looked over the numbers himself. Despite already having gone over the report multiple times, he seemed to agree. Exhaustion wasn’t beneficial for details.
"I see." His hand on Levi's back moved subconsciously, tracing the center back seam. "We'll have to shift our resources around..."
Levi stiffened imperceptibly at the touch. Erwin always did this without thinking. Always touched him like he belonged there. Usually, his instinct told him you’re not supposed to let people get this near, but it was Erwin. So he stayed still beneath that gentle tracing along his spine, eyes fixed on the paper even though he wasn't reading it.
"You should sleep soon." Levi said quietly after a beat.
"I could say the same for you."
Erwin looked up at him from his chair. Levi's dark circles looked more pronounced than usual in the lamplight. It wasn't that Erwin didn't want to rest, he just had a horrible habit of overworking himself. The weight of lives in your hands rarely allowed one to sleep peacefully. The dark circles beneath the commander's eyes were just as prominent, they matched one another in that way. Levi said time and time again: you're going to drive yourself into an early grave.
The small huff Levi let out resembled a laugh. "Don’t even start."
At least Erwin had enough sense to look somewhat guilty. He was very well aware that Levi often stayed with him far longer than necessary, but he never asked him to. Yet he also never dismissed him. His hand on Levi's back slid over a few inches to the left now, resting on his waist. It was warm against the fabric of his shirt. Levi was very used to the casual affection from Erwin by now. In fact, he shifted slightly to lean into it. Just a fraction.
"You're staying up just to read over reports that don’t change," Levi continued.
Erwin only hummed in acknowledgment.
In the beginning, Erwin’s physical proximity had been an irritation to Levi. He simply wasn’t accustomed to being touched, and certainly not so casually. Now, however, he was attuned. Levi knew he probably should back away, before the simple touch became more, but he stayed rooted. At this point, he knew Erwin's sleep schedule, and knew it well enough to be aware that the other man hadn’t slept in nearly two days now.
The way Levi leaned into it did not go unnoticed. Erwin’s thumb rubbed in slow circles, the motion almost absentminded. Icy blue eyes flicked over Levi's face. For a moment, the two simply stood like this. When Erwin was close, Levi felt oddly comfortable. Just enough to let the walls he'd spend years building crumble little by little. It wasn’t something the blonde man took for granted, knowing that he was one of the few people who ever got to see this side of Levi.
"Fine." Erwin murmured. "Let me walk you to your quarters first, then."
Levi stood fully. "As if I need an escort."
"You don't."
It was a simple acknowledgement, both of them understanding. Erwin pushed away from the desk and straightened with a sigh, the sound of his back cracking very apparent. It earned a soft snort from Levi. It was strangely fond, given the usual nature of the shorter man. Still, he stepped aside slightly, just enough to let Erwin pass if he wanted to lead so badly. That, of course, Erwin did. They walked with that familiar stride, falling in step.No words passed between them as they moved down the dimly lit corridor.
The halls were quiet at this hour, and even if they caught a recruit still awake, they were too tired to make any sort of fuss over it. Erwin walked beside him, not too close but not far, only enough that their arms occasionally brushed with each step. When they reached Levi's room, Erwin paused and turned to face him. Levi didn't give him a chance to try and say anything half-hearted. Instead, he quietly pushed open the door to his quarters and made to step through, but was stopped by a hand on his elbow. He glanced back.
"Stay with me tonight."
Levi scoffed. "Sleep in your own damn bed. This is my room."
"I know."
Normally, Erwin would be able to be a bit diplomatic about this kind of thing. Levi stared at him for a moment, almost blankly, with no outward reaction. It wasn't a secret that they both craved the other's company, but Erwin usually never asked so outright. Instead they had a routine, a pattern, one Erwin rarely deviated from. Maybe exhaustion had finally gotten to him.
The hand on Levi's elbow slid down, closing around his wrist carefully. Captured but not restricted by any means. Erwin knew full well he was asking outright for more than Levi would usually concede to. Their nights spent together were always impromptu, unspoken even if they were repeated. Yet he'd found that he didn’t care much about keeping up his composure tonight.
"You're pushing it."
"I know," Erwin said again.
Levi exhaled through his nose, looking away for just a second with irritation and something else. Then he turned toward Erwin again, giving in, because how couldn't he? He gave a single, sharp nod in response. There was something in the way Erwin's eyes softened that almost said thank you. Erwin let go of the shorter man's wrist, allowing him to finally walk into his quarters. Levi entered and left the door open for Erwin to follow, knowing he would. The room was as tidy as ever, but of course it was.
Erwin shut the door behind them with a quiet click. He stood there for a moment, just watching Levi begin to undress straight away. Folding his clothes methodically even though they needed to be washed. It gave him a moment to admire the other man, taking in the faint but red marks from their ODS gear, that which had practically become permanent at this point. Levi felt his eyes on him, but he didn’t look up.
"Are you going to watch me like a pervert?"
A beat. "No."
At that, Erwin started unbuttoning his own uniform jacket, pulling it off carefully before draping it over the back of a chair. Levi was watching the action from the corner of his eye, but pretending to prefer minding his own business. When Erwin reached the final button on his shirt, he shrugged it off to reveal a scarred torso, gained from spending years in this life of theirs. Then he tossed the shirt onto the chair, and sat on the edge of the bed to pull off his boots.
Levi had seen it all before, every scar and every mark. But he still looked away for propriety’s sake as Erwin undressed. Once he finished his own process of peeling away the stress of the day, the shorter man stood unabashedly in his briefs. It was his room, after all. He pulled the bedsheets down on one side, opposite from where Erwin stood while unbuttoning his own pants. There was little to no shame in the way they undressed in front of one another.
With a sigh, Levi sat down on the bed, bare thighs pressing against the cool sheets. He glanced over when he heard the sound of a belt unbuckling, then watched as the last of Erwin's clothing landed on the chair. Just let himself look. Erwin stood still under the gaze, as though almost inviting Levi to look. He was tired of it all. Silently, he joined Levi on the far side of the bed, shifting to pull the covers over the pair of them instead of only himself. He laid on his back, half-lidded eyes fixed on the ceiling, almost lost in thought.
But Levi laid on his side, facing Erwin. He knew this version of the commander well, the one that was weary at a bone deep level. The moment Erwin felt Levi's gray eyes on him, he glanced over to meet them. They were silent, and Levi let his gaze drift over the scars that scattered Erwin's torso that wasn't covered by the sheets. Most of them were from the past, but Levi knew a few of them were newer. Wounds that happened on recent expeditions. Erwin let Levi look, just as he always had.
There was something intimate about the way they studied each other. Erwin’s hand moved on its own, reaching out to brush along his arm. Levi didn't swat it off like he normally would've. Rather, he let the touch linger along his bicep, down to his elbow, and then up again. They were both too tired to keep their faux defenses up. Without a word, Levi shuffled closer to Erwin. Near enough so that their shoulders touched, near enough to feel Levi’s breath against it. A closeness that Levi gave to no one else.
Erwin was usually the one to initiate casual physical contact, so the change in roles, as small as it was, did not go unnoticed. Levi was just as touch deprived as Erwin, if not more, but the difference is that he was the most unwilling to show it. That was part of why this worked, their need for closeness despite their tendencies. Erwin turned more onto his side now so that they faced one another fully. Levi's hand reached to the side of Erwin's face, the pads of his calloused fingers brushing across his cheek and down under his jaw.
Without thinking, the blond leaned into the touch – and as if on instinct, Erwin's own hand gently settled on Levi's hip. The other man didn't protest to it, not even a half-hearted grumble. Levi just shifted slightly, glanced down at the hand, and that action alone was permission for Erwin to pull him closer. That, of course, Erwin did. Carefully, until their chests were pressed together, slipping his arm under Levi's head.
Their legs slotted together, and Levi moved to wrap an arm over the other man's torso and inhaled, nose brushing against Erwin's bare skin as though trying to memorize his scent. Just in case… Just in case. Honestly, Erwin was too tired to second guess the intimacy of their position, especially when Levi was pressed against him so willingly and seeking comfort. They needed whatever this is, and neither of them were willing to deny that fact.
"I didn’t want to be alone tonight." Erwin said suddenly, voice uncharacteristically quiet.
It was unusual for the commander to confess something such as that. There was a beat of silence, and then Levi scoffed softly.
"I know you didn't. Shut up."
That was his way of saying I'm here, aren't I? Erwin exhaled something that could almost be considered a laugh. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Erwin tipped his head down slightly, just enough for his lips to press to Levi’s hair. Just barely, but deliberate all the same. He lingered, mouth ghosting against dark strands before drifting lower, finding Levi’s temple. A pause with an unspoken question.
Levi angled his face to expose his properly, and Erwin followed the invitation, pressing a familiar kiss to the corner of his mouth. That wasn't enough for Levi, who closed the last inch himself, lips meeting Erwin’s properly. It was unhurried and sure, lips parted only slightly, the kind of kiss between two men who knew each other’s bodies. Levi didn't pull back immediately when it ended.
Instead, he lingered there for half a second longer than necessary. All the tension that had built up in Erwin from the day faded. He ran a hand up Levi's side, resting his palm between Levi's shoulder blades as the shorter man pressed his face back into the crook of his neck. It was almost instinctual, but the way he held Levi was always careful without being restrictive.
"You should sleep," Erwin muttered.
Levi huffed softly against his throat, but he didn’t argue. Shifted just enough to get comfortable, feeling the slow rise and fall of Erwin’s breathing even out. The commander closed his eyes, committing the moment to memory without quite knowing why, as if he understood the need to hold fast while he could. Soon enough, there would be orders to give. Horses to saddle. Walls to breach. Plans that would demand everything from them, as they always did. For now, they had the rare permission to rest.